In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. His journey takes him into a world beyond his wildest dreams and reveals his true identity.
Charlie Cox
Tristan Thorn
Claire Danes
Yvaine
Sienna Miller
Victoria
Ricky Gervais
Ferdy the Fence
Jason Flemyng
Primus
Mark Strong
Septimus
Rupert Everett
Secundus
Peter O'Toole
King
Michelle Pfeiffer
Lamia
Robert De Niro
Captain Shakespeare
Sarah Alexander
Empusa
Melanie Hill
Ditchwater Sal
Joanna Scanlan
Mormo
Kate Magowan
Una / Slave Girl
David Kelly
Guard
Nathaniel Parker
Dunstan Thorn
Dexter Fletcher
Skinny Pirate
Henry Cavill
Humphrey
David Walliams
Sextus
Mark Heap
Tertius
Mark Williams
Billy
Ian McKellen
Narrator (voice)
Adam Buxton
Quintus
Bimbo Hart
Young Scientist
Alastair MacIntosh
Victorian Academic
Ben Barnes
Young Dunstan Thorn
Darby Hawker
Grumpy Customer
Frank Ellis
Mr. Monday
Struan Rodger
Bishop
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Quartus
George Innes
Soothsayer
Jake Curran
Bernard
Grant Burgin
Lackey
Olivia Grant
Girl Bernard
Eliot Sumner
Yvaine's Sister
Terry Murphy
Old Pirate
Geoff Bell
Receptionist
Mark Burns
New Bishop
Rab Affleck
Pirate
Carlos Besse Peres
Pirate
Elwin 'Chopper' David
Pirate
Adam Fogerty
Pirate
Jordan Long
Pirate
Spencer Wilding
Pirate
Director, Screenplay
Matthew Vaughn
Novel
Neil Gaiman
Screenplay
Jane Goldman
June 24, 2022
7
Sir Ian McKellan introduces us to the young "Dunstan" (Ben Barnes) who hops over the wall and encounters a young girl, enslaved by an enchanted chain. Neither are slow on the uptake, and into her wagon they go... Nine months later, a package arrives at their door and we meet "Tristan". Many years later, he (now Charlie Cox) proves to be a bit of a chip off the old block, and when told of his progeny decides that he, too fancies a trip over the wall. This time, though, he wants to fetch a piece of a fallen star for his love "Victoria" (Sienna Miller). On his search, he encounters the beautiful "Yvaine" (Claire Danes) without realising that she is the personification of the star and that both are now the targets of the nasty witch "Lamia" (Michelle Pfeiffer) who wants the star to restore her power. Right from the start, this film consists of an entertaining series of escapades with a strong, characterful, cast including a mischievous Peter O'Toole as a king quite content to see his children fight to the death for the right to succeed him; and Robert de Niro as the captain of a flying pirate ship notorious for his menacing and dastardly deeds (but who has his own not-so-well hidden secret). The story is engaging, sometimes quite amusing, and the visual effects - especially towards the conclusion - work well with plenty of chemistry between Danes and Cox. It's too long, there's no denying that, and maybe we could have condensed the first twenty minutes better, but Pfeiffer is a good baddie and there is plenty of action to keep it going. Not sold on the Take That song at the end (apparently, neither was Miss Pfeiffer), but it's still a well crafted fantasy adventure that I quite enjoyed.